The New World.
Aboard the Moby Dick.
"Jihahaha! So, what do you think, Newgate… isn't it a flawless plan?"
Shiki locked eyes with the towering man seated at the head of the table. His gaze brimmed with menace and cunning as he spread his arms wide, grinning wickedly.
"It's time for the brats of this sea to witness once again what a real pirate's terror looks like!"
Marco and the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates stood frozen in shock. Their faces had gone pale, and their hearts were in turmoil.
They could hardly believe what they were hearing.
This guy… he actually came up with such a deranged plan?
Has he gone completely mad?
Shiki ignored their reactions entirely. To him, their opinions were worthless.
"Well? It's been a long time since we teamed up… I really miss those days when we fought 'shoulder to shoulder' on the same ship…"
He let out a low, sinister laugh.
"…Those were such 'fond' memories."
Whitebeard frowned.
He lifted the massive sake jug and took a long swig. Then, without any expression, he said:
"Are you done?"
"One bottle's finished. Time for you to leave, Shiki."
Shiki froze for a moment.
A flicker of anger flashed through his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Whitebeard responded coolly,
"I have zero interest in your plan. I've got no intention of starting a war with the Marines out of the blue… If that's what you want to do, do it yourself."
He glanced at Kozuki Oden.
"Oden will settle his own score."
"That was his decision. None of us will interfere—doing so would be the greatest insult to his honor as a samurai."
"As for what you called our 'bond as comrades'…"
Whitebeard's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"If I remember right, there was never any such bond between us on that ship."
"I've had enough of those days, always watching my back to keep from getting stabbed by a so-called 'ally.'"
As he spoke, his gaze briefly flicked toward Marco and the others, a trace of warmth flashing deep in his eyes.
Shiki narrowed his own.
He clearly caught the way Whitebeard looked at his crew.
"So that's how it is…"
His eyes gleamed with a sinister smirk as his tone turned mocking.
"What a shame, Newgate… I actually had some hopes for you. Never thought you'd fall this far. What a waste."
"With power like yours, and here you are playing such childish games in the middle of a war-torn sea… Jihahahaha!!"
Shiki slowly lifted off the ground, floating into the air, looking down from above at everyone on the deck of the Moby Dick.
"Go ahead and keep playing house!"
"You really think if you leave the Marines alone, they'll do the same?"
"Jihahaha!! Utterly stupid! Hopelessly naive!!"
"This world will always be one where the strong prey on the weak!"
His eyes locked with Whitebeard's from afar, meeting the old man's indifferent gaze.
"Newgate, I once thought you were like me—someone driven by ambition."
"But now it's clear… we're on different paths."
"When the real war breaks out, I'll be watching. Let's see if you can still protect all those little brats behind you like you are now!! Jihahahahaha!!"
With that, Shiki shot high into the sky and soon disappeared into the distant horizon.
Whitebeard remained seated, his expression solemn, silent for a long time.
...
A few days later.
North Blue.
Bang!
A military boot slammed hard into Momonga's face, and the sheer inhuman force behind it sent him flying.
White shockwaves rippled through the air as Momonga's body smashed through over a dozen towering trees before crashing into the base of a mountain range.
The tremendous impact sent tremors through the mountain, long cracks splitting across the rocky wall at its base.
Dust exploded into the air, and the sound of Momonga's violent coughing echoed continuously.
"You damn bastard... how many times have I told you not to hit me in the face..."
From the crater in the rock wall, Momonga crawled out with great difficulty. His face was bruised, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, and Seastone shackles were clamped around his wrists.
Not far away, Daren descended smoothly from the sky and landed softly on the ground.
He grinned.
"If you don't want me to hit your face, then don't just stand there."
Momonga's mouth twitched. He wanted to curse him out so badly.
Wearing these damn Seastone shackles, I'm already doing great just being able to move at all!
But he couldn't be bothered to argue. Arguing or not, he'd still end up getting beaten—might as well save his energy.
Momonga plopped down on the ground, all pretense of North Blue admiral dignity gone, lying flat on his back and gasping for air.
"You're wiped out again?"
Seeing his deputy sprawled out like a broken toy, Daren couldn't help but tease with a hint of sadistic glee.
Honestly, Momonga's talent wasn't bad at all.
In just a few days, he had already started adapting to the effects of Seastone. Even when facing Daren's attacks, he could occasionally react with instinctive blocks and dodges.
Sure, he still got crushed in the end—but at least he was starting to put up a bit of resistance.
"Why haven't you gone back to headquarters yet? Nothing going on over there?"
Momonga grumbled in frustration.
Daren shrugged with a smile.
"Sure, I still have a bunch of credits left to complete—but I've got plenty of time."
"And really, between culture classes and helping my adjutant train, I think the latter is way more important."
You're just hooked on beating me up, aren't you…
Momonga rolled his eyes weakly.
"Alright, today's beatdown... ahem, I mean, today's Seastone combat training ends here."
With that, Daren summoned his metal skateboard, stepped onto it, and soared into the sky under the pull of his magnetic field, disappearing into the clouds.
Momonga: "..."
You let it slip.
…
Rubeck Island.
Donquixote Family Headquarters Hall.
Doflamingo, Trebol, and several other officers were in the conference hall, deep in discussion over their next move.
"Who's there?!"
Doflamingo's eyes turned cold in an instant. His fingers curled like talons as he lashed out in a specific direction.
Shhh!
Sharp gashes tore across the walls and floor of the hall.
From the shadows, a tall figure emerged slowly, gripping several invisible threads in one hand. Sparks crackled against his skin as he looked at Doflamingo with a smile.
"Doffy, long time no see. You've come a long way."
Doflamingo's expression shifted.
He hesitated briefly, then took a deep breath and dropped to one knee.
His proud head lowered slightly.
"Greetings, Godfather."